Aug. 16, 2011

Last time neurologist Oliver Sacks stopped by Science Friday, we talked with him about visual disorders, including one he has called prosopagnosia. People with prosopagnosia, or face blindness, have difficulty recognizing faces — even those of close friends or family members. In our interview, Sacks recalled a moment when he saw another man through a window, and mistook the man for his own reflection.

One thing we did not talk about was the possibility that a person with prosopagnosia might witness a serial killer in action, fail to recognize him afterwards, become hunted by said serial killer, become suspicious of all her friends and loved ones, and struggle as her life generally shatters to pieces. Worry not: this nightmare scenario is science fiction. Specifically, it’s the plot of a campy new thriller starring Milla Jovovich called Faces in the Crowd. I offer the trailer, as proof:

Ha-mazing. Now take a minute tosimmer down, and listen to our interview with Oliver Sacks, about the very fascinating — and very real — complications of living with face blindness: